The gutters on the roof of the Springwood Library currently overflow in heavy rain, and the water leaks into the building.
There are easy remedies available. One easy solution is to cut holes in the parapet, which would divert the water outside the building.
A few holes were cut recently, and this has improved the situation. By cutting additional holes, it should be possible to eliminate the problem entirely.
This should be done in addition to regular cleaning of the roof. The roof is hard to see, and leaves can accumulate there without people being aware of them. The additional holes would prevent leaks even if the drainpipes become clogged with leaves.
There is no need to replace the building. The rest of the building appears to be in good condition, and the minor improvements to the roof should solve the problem.
The roof has gutters going along the east and west sides.
Each gutter has two 10cm drainpipes attached to it.
The entrances to the drainpipes have mesh covers over them, but they are small and easily clogged with leaves if the roof isn't cleaned regularly. And the roof isn't visible from the ground, so it is hard to know when cleaning is needed.
The roof is surrounded by a parapet. When the building was built, there were no holes in the parapet. If the gutters became clogged, the water couldn't escape, and it ended up flowing into the building.
Some recent improvements were made to correct this problem: Two rectangular holes, 15 by 30 cm, were recently cut in the western parapet; and Two additional downpipes (10 cm) were added to the eastern gutter.
These have improved the situation, but, during heavy rain, some water still leaks into the southwest corner of the library.
There are many ways to remedy this. More holes could be cut into the parapet, or the existing holes could be made larger. The holes could be lowered, so water starts flowing into them sooner. Part of the parapet could be removed, and replaced by a railing along the top. This should be done for both the western and eastern gutter.
Before doing this the library staff should be interviewed to make sure the leakage problem still exists. If it does, a roofing company should be contacted to fix it. The problem isn't hard to fix, and most roofers know how to do it.